Images

Steamboat Geyser in the water-phase of an eruption on June 4, 2018, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.

Subbottom profiler system towed on pontoons behind the R/V Petrel during the geophysical survey in May 2018

View of ongoing rockfalls on the southern walls of the summit crater and ground cracks just to the north of Halema‘uma‘u.

Bright image: the brightest pixel values throughout the video, useful for identifying the position of maximum wave run-up on the beach, position of all breaking waves, and sea-state.

Dark image: the darkest pixel values throughout the video, useful for tracking sediment plumes, tracking floating debris, and filtering out breaking waves.

Timex (time-exposure) image: a time-averaged image of all frames, smoothing away surface waves and determining the location of persistent wave-breaking (indicative of shallow sandbars).

Variance image: the standard deviation of pixel intensity throughout the video, and it is useful for determining how much variation or movement is occurring at a given location.

Map as of 11:00 a.m. HST, June 3, 2018. Given the dynamic nature of Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone eruption, with changing vent locations, fissures starting and stopping, and varying rates of lava effusion, map details shown here are accurate as of the date/time noted. Shaded purple areas indicate lava flows erupted in 1840, 1955, 1960, and 2014-2015.

Photo from 7AM helicopter overflight, hovering offshore and looking up the flowfront. Nearly all of the front was active and advancing; advance rates were estimated at an average of 250 feet/hour (76 m/hr), and as of 7AM the flow was 500 yards (457 m) from the ocean.

Overflight photo at 7AM HST from offshore looking up the flowfront. Nearly all of the front was active and advancing/spreading.

This animated GIF shows a sequence of radar amplitude images that were acquired by the Italian Space Agency's Cosmo-SkyMed satellite system. The images illustrate changes to the caldera area of Kīlauea Volcano that occurred between May 5 and June 2 at 6:00 p.m. HST.

Summit plume at 8:40AM HST on June 3. A slight mist in the air softens the look of the plume, which is predominantly white steam with very minor amounts of ash.

The Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux project conducts research and monitoring of sediment movement and coastal change at several barrier islands around the U.S.

A child peers at an unfertilized chicken egg at the USGS outreach booth, 2018 Suisun Marsh Field Day. USGS waterfowl ecologists use this method to check the development of a fetal duckling in the field.

*Note: photo taken with permission of parent.

USGS scientists attach small metal bands, each with its own ID, to the ankles of adult waterfowl to identify where the animal was caught. When it is re-captured later in its migration, researchers can use that information to determine how far the animal traveled. 

Map as of 1:30 p.m. HST, June 2, 2018. Given the dynamic nature of Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone eruption, with changing vent locations, fissures starting and stopping, and varying rates of lava effusion, map details shown here are accurate as of the date/time noted. Shaded purple areas indicate lava flows erupted in 1840, 1955, 1960, and 2014-2015.

East side of the fissure 8 flow on the "lighthouse road" (east of the Four Corners intersection). The ‘a‘ā flow was about 5 m (16 ft) thick when this photo was taken around 2:00 p.m. HST. 

An HVO geologist documents the fissure 8 flow southeast of Four Corners (the intersection of Highways 132 and 137).

As fissure 8 lava flowed into Green Lake, the lake water boiled away, sending a white plumehigh into the sky—visible from afar between around 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. HST.

Northern edge of the fissure 8 flow front on the night of June 1, as it approached the intersection of Highways 132 and 137, known as "Four Corners."

Overnight (June 1-2), fissure 8 lava fountains decreased to heights of about 50 m (164 feet). The moon can be seen in the upper left.